


A Cup of Kindness

by Mayphoenix



Category: Ask the Odd Family from Asgard, MCU Avengers, Natasha Romanov/Clint Barton - Fandom, The Avengers, Thor/Loki - Fandom, Thorki - Fandom, Thunderfrost - Fandom, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2012-12-31
Packaged: 2017-11-23 03:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/617522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mayphoenix/pseuds/Mayphoenix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New Year's Eve with the Avengers family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cup of Kindness

**Author's Note:**

> For the creator of tumblr's “Ask the Odd Family From Asgard”…Happy New Year, hon. Thank you for being both entertainment and inspiration.

The party at Avengers Tower – formerly Stark Tower – was already underway when Thor and Loki arrived, dressed in their Asgardian finery.  Jarvis announced them and Tony, ever the host, sauntered over to meet the couple.  His eyebrows climbed his forehead when he saw what they brought.  “Hey, you guys,” he said, “most people show up on New Year’s Eve with booze.  You…brought your kids.”

Loki snorted.  “Would you have us leave them at home, alone and unattended?” he asked, green eyes frosty with challenge as he hugged his youngest son Ragni closer to his chest.

“Yeah, I guess all their usual babysitters are here tonight, anyhow…”  Tony sucked on the inside of his cheek for a moment, thoughtful, and then shrugged.  “Ah, well.  We’ll just hold off on Naked Jell-O Wrestling until after the little ones are down for the night.”  He gestured with his ever-present tumbler of scotch.  “Come on in, make yourselves at home – just don’t get into any domestic squabbles and wreck the place like you did last time.”

Thor gave Loki a gentle nudge.  “The gifts, brother,” he said.  Loki rolled his eyes, sighed heavily, and was the first member of the family to step forward over the threshold.  He waved a graceful hand in the air and with his magic produced a basket.  It hovered there until Tony reached out hesitantly to take it.  Thor explained with a smile.  “It is a custom of your Caledonia ancestors to be visited upon the eve of the New Year by a dark-haired man bearing gifts of shortbread, salt, and libations.” 

“Uh huh.”  Tony eyed the basket’s contents.  He frowned and plucked up a black rock.  “Coal?”

“To burn,” Thor said.  “So you may always know warmth in the coming year.  The cakes are so you may never hunger and the drink so you may never know thirst.”

“Yeah, that’s never gonna happen on _my_ watch.”  Tony saluted them with his scotch and a smile.  “Thanks, guys.  May you…never…all that stuff, either.”  He placed the basket on a nearby table. 

Before Tony could turn away, a small hand gripped his trouser leg and tugged.  He stopped and looked down to see tow-haired Valki, the only girl of the brood, smiling up at him.  “Uncle,” she said, and he felt his reactor stutter a bit – what he equated with heart-melting – as he gave her his full attention.  She motioned him down and he bent over, and was met with a kiss on his cheek and a hug around his neck.  “Happy Yule!”

Tony smiled, one arm circling around to pat and rub her back.  “Happy Yule to you, too, sweetie,” he said warmly.  Straightening again, he reached over and tousled eldest boy Erik’s dark hair.  “Hey, buddy.”  Erik grinned back only to scowl when his ‘mom’ fussily smoothed his hair back into place with a glare of disapproval.  Uncle Tony might be one of the few people who could touch the kids, but that didn’t mean Mama Mad Cow had to like it.  “You can, ah, put your horns and capes in the spare bedroom,” Tony told them, glancing at Loki’s golden helm for emphasis.  “Then come join us in the main living room for eats, drinks, and Guitar Hero.”  He winked at Erik.  “I think a rematch is in order.

A few minutes later, the family converged on their Midgardian friends.  Everyone was happy to see them.  Hugs and kisses were exchanged all around.  Pepper managed to get Loki to release Ragni – she was very maternal, herself, no doubt born from years of dealing with the overgrown child that was Tony Stark – and she cooed as she bounced the toddler in her arms.  

Thor slipped a hand around Loki’s waist.  “He is in good hands, brother,” he assured, and pressed a kiss to his mate’s cheek.  “Come, now.  Remember, these are our friends.  They have each sworn to give of their lives to protect our children as their own.”

Loki pressed his lips together and heaved a reluctant sigh.  Thor continued to nuzzle his ear, which always did prove to be good for lightening these darker moods.  Loki allowed himself to be lulled, leaning back into his husband’s broad chest.  He turned his head and looked up into blue eyes that shone with love for him and him alone, and Thor bent to lay claim to Loki’s mouth in a kiss.

“Well, _that_ didn’t take long,” Natasha muttered as she walked past the couple with a pair of drinks, a vodka-cranberry for herself and a beer for Clint.  As soon as he took the bottle from her, she turned and held out her hand to Bruce.  “Pay up.” 

With a sigh, Bruce dug into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet.  “I really thought they could go more than five minutes…”  He slapped a twenty dollar bill into the Russian spy’s palm.  She smirked and tucked the money into her cleavage before joining Barton on the sofa.  Bruce soon forgot his dismay over losing their bet when Valki ran over and tackled him.  “Oof!” 

“Can Princess Greenie come out to play?” Valki asked.

“Um.  Maybe later.” 

Steve cleared his throat to get Thor and Loki’s attention.  Face flushed with embarrassment – he still couldn’t seem to get used to their open displays of affection – he offered them each a drink, matching glasses of golden liquid.  “I thought you guys might like this.” 

The demi-gods accepted; Loki took a sniff while Thor just knocked back a full gulp.  Loki arched one fine eyebrow.  “Mead?”  He looked to his husband, who drained the cup and smacked his lips in satisfaction before raising the glass in preparation to smash it to the floor out of habit.  Loki’s eyes narrowed and Thor caught himself, remembering the Midgardian dislike for destroying one’s drinking vessels. 

“It is good,” Thor told Loki.  “Not as good as the mead crafted from the honey of Idunn’s orchards, but good.”  He nodded to Steve, thrusting out his cup.  “I would have another, Captain.”

“Gotcha right here,” Tony said, coming up around behind Steve with a bottle.  He refilled Thor’s glass cheerfully.  “There ya go.  And I made sure to lay in some of that dark lager you guys like, too.”  He offered to cap off Loki’s only to be turned down.  Unlike his exuberant mate, Loki preferred to sip and savor, and would likely nurse one glass of wine for the next hour.  Tony found the idea mindboggling.  “So, that thing you said earlier about my ancestors being from…where?”

“Caledonia,” Thor said.

“It’s the original name for Scotland,” Bruce supplied, seated within earshot of the conversation.  “That’s where my people are from, too.”

“Small world,” Tony said.

“I do not think the Land of Scot is a world, friend,” Thor said with a rumbling chuckle as he polished off his second glass of mead. 

“I believe he means to say that it is a _coincidence_ , brother.”  Loki rolled his eyes.  “Forgive him,” he said to the others, “he still hasn’t quite mastered the vernacular of Midgard.”

“He’s fine,” Tony assured, and started to pour another round for the God of Thunder.  As an afterthought, he took Thor’s glass and just handed him the bottle.  “Cut out the middle man,” he said, and clapped the Asgardian’s large biceps. 

As the evening wore on, they played a variety of games and even busted out the karaoke.  Pepper helped Loki put a sleepy Valki and Ragni in one of the spare bedrooms far from the noise where they wouldn’t be disturbed.  Erik was allowed to stay up a little later but still protested a bit when his parents told him he should go to bed.  Tony managed to end the battle of wills between mother and son, talking Erik into conceding the match by promising him his own Stratocaster.  That earned him a glare from Loki that would freeze helium.  Tony just shrugged it off.  “Hey, at least the kid went to bed, right?” 

The midnight hour drew near.  Steve stood up.  “Avengers,” he said, “assemble.”  Smiling, he led them out onto the terrace where a table had been set up with a circle of fluted crystal glasses and a magnum of champagne.  Each member of the group received a glass, and the captain raised his high.  “A toast to the company of good people; to the memory of those who have gone before; and to a future that is bright with promise.”

“Cheers,” echoed around, along with the ring of tapping crystal.  Bruce called out the final countdown from his wristwatch.  “Ten…nine…eight…”

Pepper slipped under Tony’s arm.  Clint and Natasha pressed close to one another.  Thor wrapped an arm around Loki from behind and pulled him back to lean against him.  Steve draped a companionable arm around Bruce’s shoulders. 

“Two…one!  Happy New Year!”

Tony muttered, “Jarvis, cue the light show.”  And at that moment, the sky above began to erupt with fireworks originating from the tower’s roof.  Music filled the terrace from concealed speakers.  Steve and Bruce knew the lyrics and began to sing. 

_“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind…?”_

Pepper joined them, and then Tony.  Natasha sang along, too, and poked Clint who gave in.  Thor picked up on the chorus the second time around and added his rich baritone, while Loki’s softer tenor made the perfect accompaniment to his brother’s voice. 

 

_“For auld lang syne, my dear,_

_For auld lang syne…_

_We’ll take a cup of kindness, yet_

_For auld lang syne…”_

The team stood and sang, and marveled at the display overhead while warmed against the cold of a New York City winter’s night by the friendship they shared.   

 

 -fin-

 

 

 


End file.
